Beauty tips that took me 25 years to learn: Eyeshadow brushes!

I’ve never been much into makeup, much to the dismay of my Mom who used to swish blush on my face as I glumly ate breakfast in the morning before school. Now to hide the world-weariness that 11+ years working for a newspaper will give you, I’m starting to indulge.

A few months ago I bought Stila’s Glamour Goddess palette to pull myself out of the rut of years of drugstore eyeshadow duos. Trouble is, those duos always come with the foam applicator. This kit came with no applicator at all. I’d rather have an applicator than eyeliner. I’ve never perfected eyeliner.

I started using my fingers and then moved to Q-tips. After poking myself in the eye for the second time in one morning, I realized I needed a better solution. But I’m lazy, so I forgot about it.

Then, WM asked why there were suddenly so many Q-tips in the trash. When I told him why he uttered a phrase I’ve been using a lot lately when I realize how darn cheap I act.

“We are not hobos!!!”

And we’re totally not. So I went to my local Ulta and bought an eye shadow brush and an eye liner brush. These brushes were not only inexpensive, but the bristles weren’t yanked out of a dead animal.

Max, Ollie & Charlie approve.

Anyway, I was struck at how much better I became at eyeshadow. No more fumbling with a one-inch piece of plastic. No more unevenly smudging the pigment on my lids because the foam tip was weird or torn. And now my eyes look finished with minimal effort!